1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to systems for wireless communication between multiple remote meter interfaces (RMI)s and multiple base stations and more particularly to a system for field installation of a particular RMI to a particular base station.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Wireless communication systems are commonly used for sending information from remote locations to a central office. These systems include a remote interface for reading and transmitting information regarding a physical result and a communication network. Typically, the communications network includes local base stations situated on a grid for concentrating the information received in wireless signals from several remote interfaces and a wide area network (WAN) for forwarding the concentrated information to the central office. The WAN may use another wireless system or a wired system such as telephone landlines or cable television lines. The systems may be bi-directional to include the capability of sending control information from the office back to the remote interface. One important application for remote interfaces is for reading utility meters and transmitting the meter reading information in a wireless data signal. Such remote interfaces are known as appliance interface modules (AIM)s or remote meter interfaces (RMI)s.
It is likely that more than one base station will be situated near enough to an RMI to receive energy from the wireless data signal from that RMI. Although having multiple base stations receive the same wireless data signal may be used to provide redundancy, this use of the base stations and the WAN is less efficient because the same information will be sent multiple times. Further, complex software must be developed for the central office to deal with the multiple receptions the same information. The software will be especially complex in bidirectional systems where control information is sent back from the central office in response to the meter reading information. One solution to these problems is to designate a particular one of the base stations to communicate with each particular RMI so that the RMI can communicate only with that base station. In existing systems an identification for a designated RMI is downloaded via the WAN from the central office software to the base station. This identification is stored in the base station to designate an RMI with which the base station is enabled to communicate. However, it is sometimes difficult for a worker in the field who is installing or reinstalling an RMI to get control of the central office software in order to pass the identification through the WAN to the base station.